Can local knowledge make the difference? Rethinking university's community engagement and prospect for sustainable development

Against the backdrop of Africa's quest for development, there have been emerging demands for its universities to do more in contributing to development drives beyond their immediate sphere of operation. Drawing on an instrumental case study within an African community, this paper heartens a reconsideration of African universities' community engagement as a catalyst for sustainable development. It ascertains that it would be beneficial to the university and its mission to foster sustainable development when local voices are assimilated within its knowledge creation, diffusion and societal engagement objectives. Whilst this has the potential to instigate the university's engagement to address local and regional concerns and promote relevant development, this would be predicated on targeted collaborative engagement frameworks, underpinned by mutual trust

Promoting Sustainable Development in Rural Communities: The Role of the University of Botswana

Universities are better placed through their community engagement mandates to provide solutions for sustainable community livelihoods. The paper uses the case of the Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) strategy, regarded as both a conservation and rural development strategy in Botswana to demonstrate how a structured community engagement agenda can enable the University of Botswana to play a more impactful role in the successful implementation of nationally upheld development initiatives such as the CBNRM. Systems theory is applied to demonstrate the need for a university engagement strategy, working model, guide to CBNRM sustainable development activities and a framework for the maintenance of sustainable engagement partnerships. Literature review showed uncoordinated research activity in support of the CBNRM by different departments and institutes of the UB. While content analysis of the CBNRM draft policy objectives showed the UB being more impactful by focusing its community engagement on two modes: “sustainability partnerships” and “research committed to sustainability”